A culinary tourist in my own back yard.

Healthy Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies

I hesitate to put the label “healthy” on something like cookies

I mean, they still have sugar and fat and wheat flour in them. But compared to conventional cookies, these are a good bit healthier. They’re also still clearly a treat, and not a meal replacement or anything.

Small changes, big benefits

By removing half the wheat flour called for in the recipe and replacing it with a quarter cup each of cocoa powder and brown rice flour, I was able to make these cookies a little healthier. Cocoa powder is a delicious source of antioxidants which are thought to be effective in helping to prevent cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Brown rice flour is high in selenium and B vitamins, and helped give these cookies a nice, crisp texture, even after being bagged up.

I also substituted hemp hearts, which I love, for some of the oatmeal in the recipe. Hemp hearts are something of a “superfood,” boasting 33% protein, beneficial EFAs and health goodies like iron and vitamin E. They are small and can easily be worked into many baked goods.